


Jingle All The Way

by bracus09



Category: SEAL Team (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Clay Spenser Whump, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21944134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bracus09/pseuds/bracus09
Summary: The distance people will go to prove Santa Claus is real.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 98





	Jingle All The Way

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Lauren2381 for the beta help!
> 
> Also, there are two IncorrectSEALTeam quotes in here. See if you can find them!
> 
> Merry Christmas!

“I just don’t know what to do.” Ray explained to the guys as they entered the team room to get changed from today’s drills. They were all sweaty but feeling satisfied knowing that they have Christmas Eve and Christmas off. No drills, no missions, no nothing.

“You knew it was eventually was going happen.” Jason replied, opening his cage and stepping inside.

“I know, but Jameelah is only eight. Don’t you think that is a little too early to stop believing in Santa Claus?” Ray questioned, opening his own cage, tossing his gear to the side and turning to face the rest of his brothers.

Jason just shrugged and continued to get change. Both Emma and Mikey were well over the age to believe in it. Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure when they stopped believing. Alana would have known.

“There wasn’t much to do about Christmas in Africa, so I didn’t believe from a young age.” Clay mentioned with a shrug while leaning against the door frame to his cage.

“Now, that right there is sad Tinkerbell,” Sonny commented, pointing his finger in Clay’s direction. “Kids should believe in whatever they want for however long they want.”

“So, when did you stop believing?” Clay shot back, turning back to his cage to pack his bag, ready to leave base.

“I believed until I was 13,” Sonny stated matter of factly.

“Thirteen? Really Sonny?” Trent said in disbelief. “Why did you stop believing then and not before?”

“I wanted a new bike, and instead, I got books,” Sonny said, sitting in his chair reminiscing. “Never believed in him afterwards. It broke my heart.”

This set a round of chuckles off with the rest of the team. Ray just rolled his eyes at the Texan. “Well, it was an older kid at school told Jameelah at recess that there was no such thing as Santa Claus and I really don’t want her to give it up quite yet.”

“Maybe sit down and talk to her about it?” Brock suggested while pulling out a toy for Cerberus to chew on.

Ray just shook his head and turned back to get changed.

“Why don’t you have her write a letter to Santa and then get someone to answer it back? Trent tried. 

“Who would we get to write back? She knows our handwriting?” Ray said as he pulled on a new shirt.

“If I wrote to Santa, you know what it would say?” Sonny walked to the middle of the room, leaning back on the table with his shirt in his hand.

There was silence for a moment, “You know how to write?” Clay asked.

“Poster Boy, you are on thin ice,” Sonny pointedly glared in his direction. “No, I would write: Dear Santa, I’m writing to let you know that I’ve been naughty. And it was worth it, you fat, judgmental bastard.”

“And that’s the reason you probably only received coal in your stocking,” Jason commented, having changed while the guys were talking, and finishing packing his bag to head out for the night.

“You know what we could do?” Clay started, picking his bag up off the floor and facing the group.

Jason quickly turned back and pointed a finger at him. “I hope you’re not going to do something stupid.”

Clay just looked at Jason with Jason looking back at him. The other four could feel the tension between them and Cerb let out a whine.

“I hope you’re not hoping too hard,” Clay responded to Jason before turning to Ray. “Why don’t we put on a show for Jameelah so that she continues to believe.”

“Why am I not going to like this?” Ray said, but willing to hear Clay out.

Trent just slapped his hands over his ears, and loudly said, “Lalalalalala. I don’t want to hear it.” And turned away from the rest of the team.

“Why don’t we get some sleigh bells, go up on the roof, make a show of Santa coming to your house, and boom! Jameelah believes in Santa again,” Clay said, finishing with throwing his hands going wide.

“That’s ingenious, Peter Pan!” The Texan said, quickly exiting his cage and approaching Clay’s, nodding his head.

“No, no, no and no. One, there is snow on the roof. Two, Naima won’t go for it. And three, if any of you get hurt, Jason will kill you both,” Ray stated, counting off the reasons why this is such a bad idea on his fingers.

“It is a great idea! And we won’t get hurt. We are Tier One operators. If we can get out of Iran without a scratch, we should be able to get up on a roof and back off it without a scratch.” Clay said, eagerly trying to convince Ray.

“You still have to convince Naima.” Ray said, trying to make a point.

“Naima? Hi! Clay and I have an awesome idea to help Jameelah believe in Santa Claus again.” Sonny started, already on the phone and walking out the team room door. Clay quickly grabbed his bag and followed after him.

“You guys, no,” Ray said, waiting for them to come back. “Oh shit!” Ray cursed as he quickly grabbed his shirt and bag and went running after the two knuckleheads.

After the door closed behind Ray, Brock turned to Trent and Jason. “This isn’t going to end well is it?”

“Nope, not at all.” Trent said, shaking his head and grabbing his pack.

“The only good thing about it, is that we are going to be able to laugh at it later over beers,” Jason said, grabbing his pack and walked after the door.

***

“I can’t believe that you got Naima to agree to this,” Ray stated as he watched Sonny bring Ray’s ladder from the garden shed to lean it up against his gutters on the opposite side of the house that housed the children’s bedrooms. Clay just stood there in his winter hat, coat and boots with jingle bells in one hand.

“Well, I don’t know if she actually agreed… but more or less didn’t say no,” Sonny explained as he settled the latter against the house.

Ray just rolled his eyes at his two teammates and the ridiculousness that they would get up to, just for his little girl.

“Okay, we are going to wait out here and wait for your signal,” Clay said, making sure not to shake the bells.

Ray again, rolled his eyes. “Naima is going to finish reading ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas to the kids. Once the kids are in bed, I’m going to text you and Clay is going to climb up to the roof, stomp his feet a bit, give a few shakes of the jingle bells, and bellow out a few ‘ho ho ho’s’ and then you will get off my roof.”

“That sounds about the jist of the plan.” Clay nodded, almost vibrating with excitement. Not having many Christmas’ with his parents before being shipped off to Africa to live with his grandparents, he wanted to do something special for Jameelah, so she can have just a few more years of Christmas magic.

“I still can’t believe you two knuckleheads are doing this,” Ray shook his head and headed to the back door to go inside.

He stomped the snow off his shoes before opening the door and walking in. Taking off his shoes and hanging up his coat, Ray continued down the hallway to the kids’ bedrooms. He stood in Jameelah’s doorway, watching Naima sitting on Jameelah’s bed with RJ already sound asleep on one end and Jameelah on the edge of drifting off herself. 

She was just finishing the last page of the book and was tucking Jameelah in when Ray walked in, “Now Baby Girl, you need to go to sleep so Santa can come.”

“Daddy, there is no Santa Claus,” Jameelah pouted. 

Naima stood, picked up RJ and wrapped an arm around Ray. “Now, you never know. He only comes when you are sleep. So why don’t you go to sleep and wait until morning and see if he did.”

“He isn’t coming. He isn’t real,” Jameelah said as she grabbed her comforter and twisted away from her parents.

Ray looked at Naima, who jerked her head towards the hallway. Ray exited his daughter’s room and just pulled her door to, making sure her night light was on. He continued to follow Naima across the hall and put RJ in his bed. He reached down, gently ran his hands over RJ’s curls and gave him a kiss before they both exited to the hall and walked towards the kitchen.

“Are the guys really going to do this?” Naima asked, picking up her unfinished glass of wine. It was only 10:00 PM, but they still had to get the kids’ “Santa Gifts” ready for tomorrow morning.

“All they are waiting for is my text message,” Ray replied, grabbing a beer.

“Do you think it is a good idea?” Naima pressured him.

“What could it hurt?” Ray said taking a sip. “Most it can do is not be convincing enough for her to believe in Santa.”

“Okay, let’s give it a shot,” Naima said, grabbing her wine glass and going into the living room to sit on the couch.

Ray pulled out his phone, texted the message quickly and hit send, put his phone back into his pocket and joined Naima on the couch. Both waited for them the tell-tale footsteps of someone stepping on the roof.

They didn’t have to wait long. They heard the footsteps start on the one end of the house and could follow it all the way across the living room, dining room and towards the bedrooms. Ray couldn’t stand the wait, got up quietly and peered into Jameelah’s room. She was sitting straight up in bed, staring at the ceiling, mouth wide open, listening to the footsteps, the jingling of bells and a few ho, ho, ho’s that could be heard from the rooftop.

Ray felt Naima sneak up behind him to watch their daughter enjoy a little bit of Christmas cheer and giving her a chance to stay a child for a little bit longer. Suddenly, there was a very large set of jingles, the sound of scraping on the roof, and then a crash in their flowerbed.

Ray looked at Naima, but Jameelah was up out of bed, coming towards the door. “Santa fell off the roof!” Jameelah screamed as she ripped the door open.

Naima immediately knelt to comfort her daughter that burst into tears, while Ray sprinted to the door, tossed his shoes on, yanked it open and ran around to the side of the house that the crash was on.

Ray came tearing around the corner to see Sonny standing in the snow, trying not to laugh at Clay that was stuck in their rhododendron and covered in snow groaning. Ray looked up and you could easily see where Clay was standing and where he slid down the roof. His gutter was also looking like it had been pulled away from the eaves a little bit too.

Sonny just shook his head and looked at Ray. “Peter Pan doesn’t fly very well does he?”

“What happened?” Ray asked as he came to stand next to Clay.

“I dropped the sleigh bells, bent down to pick them up, slipped and tried to stop myself from falling off the roof,” Clay said through gritted teeth.

“Well Twinkle Toes, you didn’t succeed,” Sonny said, still trying not to laugh.

“Are you okay?” Ray asked, now seeing a little bit of humor in the situation.

“I think I did something to my shoulder. I managed to grab the gutter with my right hand but felt a pop in my shoulder and fell the rest of the way,” Clay continued as he tried to move, but just laid back with a pained gasp.

This wiped the grins quickly off their faces. Ray knelt next to Clay and felt his right shoulder and he could easily feel the deformity through Clay’s jacket. “Okay, I’m going to get a sheet to make a sling and then we are going to the ER.” Turning to Sonny, make sure he doesn’t move until I come back.

Ray quickly got up and went back inside. Naima saw him come in with an inconsolable Jameelah who kept repeating, “Santa is dead.”

Ray stepped up to the two, “Jameelah, Santa isn’t dead, but he is a little hurt. I’m going to get some things and take him to a doctor so that he can get all better and continue Christmas. How does that sound?”

Jameelah just sniffled and nodded her head while she leaned up against Naima. Ray went to the hall closet, got out a sheet and folded it into a triangle. He then grabbed his Jeep keys, gave Naima a kiss on her cheek and headed back outside to the Trouble Twins.

Walking back to where Clay was still laying in the rhododendron, Ray gently started to manipulate Clay’s arm into the make-shift sling, causing him to give a pain hiss. Once Ray had the sling in place, both him and Sonny helped Clay to sit up, causing another pain groan.

Tying the sling behind Clay’s neck, Sonny helped Clay to his feet and brushed as much snow off him as possible before they would be getting into Ray’s Jeep. 

As they started walking to the driveway, Clay looked back at the bush. “Sorry about the bush.”

“I could care less about the bush. Naima on the other hand, she is who you are going to have to be worried about. Along with Jason, Trent and Blackburn when you call and tell them what happened,” Ray said as he unlocked his Jeep and got ready to help Clay into the back seat.

Clay let out a groan for a completely different reason, which caused Sonny to chuckle.

Ray then turned to Sonny, “And you are going to be making the phone call since you were the other half of this crazy stunt.”

That shut Sonny up really quick and caused Clay to chuckle at his expense.

Once everyone was in, Ray quickly started the vehicle and pulled out into the street.

***

Luckily, the Emergency Room on Christmas Eve night was quiet, and they were back into a treatment room within an hour. Sonny and Ray waited in the room for Clay to come back from getting x-rays.

They waited in silence, and then a nurse wheeled Clay to the room, who was giggling a little bit and had a goofy grin on his face.

Ray and Sonny exchanged a glance before Sonny was digging out his cellphone to record the youngest member of Bravo, who was obviously on some good meds.

The nurse set the brakes and Ray helped her to transfer Clay from the chair to the hospital gurney that was in the middle of the room. The nurse raised the back of the gurney and Clay leaned back on it. He then turned to the nurse, smiled and giggled at her. She just shook her head, gave him an indulgent smile, and pushed the wheelchair out the door.

“Hey Blondie, they gave you the good shit, didn’t they?” Sonny asked, while putting his phone in Clay’s face, recording a video.

Clay just laid there giggling. Ray just sat back down in his chair, put his head in his hands and shook his head, wondering how this became his Christmas Eve, going on Christmas morning.

It was maybe fifteen minutes later that a doctor game breezing in and placed a laptop on a computer cart next to some monitor screens. “So, how did this happen?” He asked as he docked his laptop and started to bring up x-rays.

Clay giggled, “Santa Claus.”

The doctor looked at the two sober men with the one laying on the gurney. Ray spoke up, “He fell off my roof after tripping over the sleigh bells he was using to try to convince my daughter that Santa Claus was real. He says that he caught himself with his right hand on the gutter but felt a pop in his shoulder.”

“Well,” the doctor started, pulling up Clay’s x-rays for his shoulder, “It definitely looks like he caught himself, and dislocated his shoulder at the same time. Anterior dislocation. Don’t see a Hill-Sach’s deformity. It should be easy to reduce the joint, get post-reduction films and get you out of here in less than an hour.”

“Glad that’s easy to fix. Now, I just need to convince my daughter that Santa isn’t dead,” Ray stated as he sat back in the chair while leaning his head back on the wall.

The doctor paid no mention to Ray’s doom and gloom mood and went about grabbing two sheets to reduce Clay’s shoulder. He turned to Sonny, “You want to help?”

Sonny looked at him with wide eyes, then looked at Ray. Ray gave him a glare that bordered on an order, so Sonny got up out of the chair and walked over to the gurney. 

“Okay. Grab him around the chest and sit him up,” The doctor said, standing in front of the gurney.

Sonny came to the backside of the gurney, helped Clay sit up and swinging his feet so that Sonny was standing behind Clay with his arms wrapped around Clay’s chest to hold him steady. The doctor then wrapped the sheet around Clay’s upper arm and continued to twist it so that he could get a good grip.

Clay just sat there like a limp noodle, leaning his head back so he could look at Sonny. “Hi Sonny.” He giggled.

“Ken Doll, you will be running so many hills when you get cleared.” Sonny replied.

Clay just giggled, and Ray could be heard thumping his head against the wall.

“Alright. You ready?” Asked the doctor towards Sonny.

Sonny nodded his head and the doctor slowly started to apply traction to the arm. Nothing happened, but soon there was some sliding and then Sonny could feel when the head of Clay’s humerus slid back into the socket. Sonny shivered at the feeling.

“Good. Good.” The doctor said as he nodded his head. He unwound the sheet and went back to the computer. “We will get the wheelchair back in here and get him to x-ray for post-reduction films. Then we will just need to get him in a sling and discharged with after care instruction and you can be on your way.”

Both Ray and Sonny nodded, just waiting for the time when they can go home.

“Hey, my shoulder feels so much better.” Clay said, sitting on the gurney. He went to roll his shoulder, when both Sonny and Ray quickly stopped the motion. They didn’t need him to re-dislocate it before they got out of the ER.

The doctor just laughed as he saw the nurse come back in with the wheelchair. Soon, Clay was off to x-ray, and Sonny and Ray were left to wait for him again.

Clay came walking back into the room with his right arm and shoulder in a sling and the doctor following behind him.

“Well, Clay here should be good to go. Keep his arm in the sling for two weeks and then physical therapy after that. I’m pretty sure you will be able to follow up with the base doctor for this injury too. His meds are starting to wear off, so I’m going to give him some to get through the night, but then ibuprofen or naproxen should be sufficient after that,” the doctor stated, giving Ray the paperwork with Clay’s discharge instructions and a bottle with just a few pills in the bottom.

Ray just nodded his head, grabbed the paperwork and pill bottle and put them into a pocket.

“Oh, make sure he stays with someone tonight so that he comes down off the medications alright and he take the other meds in the morning.” The doctor mentioned while typing away on the computer.

Sonny and Ray looked at each other. “You take him Sonny; it was your idea.”

“Nope, I have somewhere to be early next morning,” Sonny looked at his watch. “Later in the morning.”

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Ray raised his fist.

Sonny also raised his fist, they each pumped it three times, and then Sonny beat Ray’s scissors with a rock. “Ha! You get Poster Boy.”

Ray just sighed and started to push Clay towards the exit.

“Gentlemen, before you leave,” the doctor said before handing Ray one last piece of paper. “Merry Christmas.” The doctor then walked down the hall and around a corner.

Ray looked down at the paper in his hand. It read:

Patient Name: Santa Claus

Next of Kin: Mrs. Claus

Injury: Bumps and bruises

Treatment: Plenty of cookies and milk

Other considerations: No heavy lifting the next 24 hours

Ray looked back up for the doctor, but he was gone. “The doctor is a genius,” he commented.

Sonny gave him a look and Ray handed the paper over to him. He read the paper and smiled. “You’re right! A genius.”

At that time, Clay let out a groan and leaned his head against Sonny’s shoulder. Sonny hooked an arm around Clay’s waist and started steering him again, towards the exit. “Come on Tinkerbell. Time to sleep it off.”

***  
Ray raised his hand and waved goodbye to Sonny as he drove off in his truck and helped Clay up the stairs of his porch. 

Naima opened the door to let Ray and Clay in through the door. She had the ‘disappointed mom’ look on her face and Ray man-handled Clay to lay on the couch. He pulled off Clay’s shoes and put a pillow under his bad shoulder and then walked into the kitchen with Naima.

“How’s Jameelah?” Ray asked.

“Finally got her to settle down and asleep. This was a horrible idea.” Naima said, looking at Ray with her arms crossed.

Ray reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out Clay’s meds and discharge instructions. He also pulled out “Santa’s” Discharge papers also. He handed that paper to Naima. She read through the discharge note and raised an eyebrow in his direction. “This might work.”

Naima then just pointed to what Ray still had to build for the night, Jameelah’s dollhouse and RJ’s Tiny Tykes Tool Bench. She then went to bed because she knew that tomorrow morning was going to be busy.

Letting out a huff, Ray went into the living room and started to put together the “Santa” gifts for his children. Watching Clay passed out on the couch, he couldn't help the small chuckle at his teammate. Clay tried his best to keep his little girl’s childhood alive, and while it didn’t quite workout the way it was planned, it will still probably work.

***

Screams echoed down the hallway into Ray’s and Naima’s room, and soon there were two small bodies launching onto their bed.

“Santa came!” Jameelah yelled. She had the discharge note in hand. “Daddy! What does it say?!”

Ray untangled his arms from his wife, children and comforter and quickly read the letter both his children. Jameelah was overjoyed that Santa was okay and wasn’t dead. Soon, Jameelah and RJ had Ray and Naima out of bed and dragged into the living room.

“Uncle Clay!” Jameelah yelled upon seeing one of her uncles laying on the couch.

“Hi Jammie.” Clay mumbled, and Ray and Naima knew his shoulder was hurting this morning.

“Yeah, Jameelah. Look who daddy found at the ER last night when he was making sure Santa was okay.” Naima said as she headed to the kitchen to start the pot of coffee, and to get Clay’s pain meds.

Ray sat next to Clay on the couch, waiting for the man to wake up a little bit more. “Thanks brother, but next time, let the real Santa do the roof walking.”

Chuckling a bit, Clay turned to look at him, “You might find this funny, but I thought for sure that I heard sleigh bells last night.”

“Brother, that was those pain meds the doc got you high on,” Ray laughed.

“Are you sure?” Clay asked, pointing to a little Santa figurine that was sitting on the coffee table that wasn’t there last night. 

Under the figurine, was a folded letter with gold-leaf and red border. Ray picked up the figurine, never have seen it before, and grabbed the letter it was holding down. Opening the letter, in black cursive handwriting, read:

Ray and Clay,

Thank you for keeping the Christmas spirit alive. Next year, leave it to the professionals.

Merry Christmas,  
Santa Claus

Clay was reading over Ray’s shoulder. They both looked at each other, then looked back at the kids. 

Huh. Guess there really is a Santa Claus.

**Author's Note:**

> This is loosely based off when my dad pulled this stunt for my brother and I. Now that we are older, we tease him relentlessly about it.
> 
> Have a safe and happy holiday!


End file.
